Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

Imagine this: A rich crumbly and buttery cookie, bursting with earl grey tea flavour, melting instantly the moment it enters your mouth.(This sentence just made me eat another cookie...) That's an earl grey shortbread cookie. Shortbread cookies are well-known for their instant-melt-in-your-mouth ability, plus a delicate crisp texture. The name 'shortbread' comes from their "short stretch", meaning they break and crumble easily(break, not snap!). These cookies are absolutely delicious, with an amazing earl grey flavour and great texture. There are only 5 ingredients required and the steps are so straightforward - this recipe is really easy so do give it a try if you are a tea fanatic(I am!).

I added more earl grey leaves to my cookies and felt that they provided a richer flavour so it is included here in this recipe. :-)

1. With an electric mixer, mix together the flour, tea leaves and salt, until the flour is spotted with the tea leaves.

2. Add the icing sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Mix just until a dough is formed. (WARNING: Do not eat the dough because once you start, you will not be able to stop!!!! @_@)

3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 190ºC.

5. With the dough, make small round balls and press them onto the baking sheet(Basically, make it look like a cookie. The dough is pretty soft so I don't suggest using a cookie cutter, but you can use your hands/carving tools to make fun shapes!)

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes till the edges are slightly browned and let cool. (Note: you do not want to overbake them because their great texture will be lost. So be sure to watch your cookies!)

These cookies are AWESOME. Believe me when I say that! Do try them out, you will not regret it! :-) I'm going to eat another one now HAHAHA.

Love,

Kejia

P/S. Happy Labour Day! Here's to all the amazing people that keep our countries going. ^_^

Nope I haven't. But do go ahead and try it out, i'm pretty sure it will work! This is simply a basic shortbread recipe, feel free to replace the EG tea with other ingredients such as lemon zest or mini chocolate chips:-) Tell me how it goes!

I made these the other day and they were soooooo good! I didn't have earl grey tea on hand and ended up using an english breakfast instead and adding in a bit of orange peel to compensate but they were still super delicious. You can see my version here: http://nicola-lynde.blogspot.dk/2013/11/in-kitchen-orange-black-tea-shortbread.html

Hi, 2 cups flour is 190 grams. There is no need to sift here because then the tea leaves won't be able to pass through the sieve. You could sieve the flour berforehand though, then mix it together with the tea leaves.

I don't think you can substitute butter with anything else here (e.g. oil, shortening) because shortbread is all about the buttery flavour, and the texture of the shortbread comes from butter. Go out and get some butter!! :-)